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Report

Young People and Gambling 2022

Gambling Commission report produced by Ipsos on young people and their gambling behaviour, attitudes and awareness in 2022.

Published
10 November 2022

Last updated
9 November 2022 - Changes

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Contents

Variations in gambling experience

The overall proportion of young people who experienced gambling in the last 12 months is consistent by age and gender. However, following the pattern for active involvement in gambling, those who had seen their family members gamble (67 percent), were more likely to have experience of gambling in the last 12 months compared with those who had not (42 percent).

Looking at the different gambling activities, girls were more likely to report experience of:

  • arcade games such as penny pusher or claw grab machines (37 percent of girls compared with 32 percent of boys)
  • bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (10 percent of girls compared with 7 percent of boys).

While boys were more likely to have experienced online gambling activities such as:

  • placing a bet on esports (5 percent of boys compared with 1 percent of girls)
  • playing casino games online (3 percent of boys compared with 1 percent of girls).

Boys' experience of online gambling reflects findings shared in the report which highlight that they were more likely to play games on their phone, iPad, laptop or on a console in their spare time than girls (57 percent compared to 12 percent) and were more aware of aspects of online gaming, such as paying for or betting with in-game items.

By age, older groups were more likely to have experienced National Lottery scratchcard play in the last 12 months than younger age groups (9 percent of 14 to 16 year olds compared with 7 percent of 11 to 13 year olds), and played cards for money with friends or family (10 percent of 14 to 16 year olds compared with 7 percent of 11 to 13 year olds). In contrast 11 to 13 year olds were more likely to play bingo at somewhere other than a bingo club (10 percent of 11 to 13 year olds compared with 7 percent of 14 to 16 year olds).

Those who had seen family members gamble were more likely to have experienced most forms of gambling activities in the last 12 months than young people who had not seen their family gamble. This mirrors active involvement in gambling in the last 12 months; with the differences most notable for activities where family members would be present such as placing a bet with friends or family (31 percent compared with 15 percent of those who had not seen family members gamble).

Differences by ethnicity are only notable in the higher rates of experience of arcade gaming machines: 38 percent of white 11 to 16 year olds compared with 26 percent of young people from black and ethnic minority groups.

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Overall gambling experience in the last 12 months
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